The Intern
by Aa11yah
Summary: It is well known that Stark Industries is a prestigious workplace within a very competitive sector. Employing only the best of the best, it goes without saying that the majority of it's employees are the smartest minds of the generation - alumni of top-tier colleges and universities across the globe. If you’re not the best, then you have no business within the futuristic building.
1. 1

It is well known that Stark Industries is an extremely prestigious workplace within a very competitive sector. Employing only the best of the best, it goes without saying that the majority of it's employees are the smartest minds of the generation - alumni of top-tier colleges and universities across the globe. If you're not the best, then you have no business within the futuristic building.

Naturally, it's a surprise when early on a Monday morning, a young girl who looks no older than twelve enters the building through the visitors entrance and approaches the receptionist with a small smile and hunched shoulders, threadbare rucksack hanging from one skinny shoulder.

Jane Howard had been working at Stark Industries for the last three years, and in that time never had she seen anyone younger than college-age enter alone at this time. She lifted her eyes from the gossip magazine she had been holding, dog-earring the page she was on, and observed the girl.

Caramel hair was tied back, a few flyaway strands stubbornly framing her face. Bottle green eyes were large behind round glasses, peeking innocently at her.

"Um, hi, I-I'm Amelia Smith...I'm here to, uh, start my internship." She had a thick British accent. Jane wondered idly, as she searched for the girl's name, how recently she had moved to New York.

"I've found you," Jane assured the child, who seemed to be getting increasingly more nervous as the silence stretched on. "I just need to take a quick picture for when you scan your card, and then once that's printed, I'll have someone brought down to show you to your area."

"Thank you."

Amelia gave a slightly awkward smile at the camera, sure that one corner of her mouth had risen more, before waiting for the ID card to be printed.

"You must be pretty smart, Kid, if you've managed to get an Internship here," Jane observed casually as they waited, sharp eyes seeming to reach through to the teenager's very soul.

"I guess," the girl shrugged slightly before realising that it might be seen as rude, cheeks flushed and she glanced down at the piece of plastic in her hand, "I like science and making things."

The awkward wait was broken when another employee approached, a grin on his lips, "hey, you must be Amelia, our new nerd, right?"

The teenager smiled up at him and nodded, too nervous to be sure that she wouldn't stutter.

"Well, I'm Tom. I work in HR and do a lot of the tours for new employees. Follow me and I'll show ya 'round."

Speed walking to keep up with his long paces, Amelia looked back and gave a wave to the kind receptionist who returned it. She smiled gratefully when Tom slowed down a little after noticing how she struggled a little to keep up, as well as how she repeatedly had to force herself not to be distracted by the glass walls showing glimpses into interesting labs and meeting rooms.

"So, you're one of our Lower Interns at the moment. It just means that you have only just started and have yet to prove yourself. There are a lot of opportunities to progress to a Higher Internship, which comes with a small wage, larger labs, more allowances for projects, and a lot of job opportunities - which, at your age, probably isn't really something you're looking at yet." The man grinned warmly at her before continuing.

"There's a chain of command here. Interns do not order one another around; if a Higher Intern orders you to do something, you are not obligated to do it, and will not be punished for not doing so. You will report to Jared Jones - he's the Head Intern, and he works in the same Lab you'll be in. He's a good guy, great to talk to. If he isn't available, there is the Assistant Head Intern, Donna Masters, who works is the Higher Intern Lab - like Jared, she's very protective over her interns, and she's definitely mother you. Above them two is the Level 3 Lab Director - Camilla Choi. The other two Levels are for our Higher Interns and employed scientists. Above Camilla is HR, and then would be Tony Stark, the CEO of Stark Industries. If you wanted to arrange a meeting, you would need to send an email with the reason and an acceptable date and time."

We expect interns to keep up with school work along with their responsibilities here. If you have coursework to finish, don't blow it off to come here - we understand what it means to have a chance to work here, but there will be consequences if someone finds out you've been missing your other responsibilities...have you sorted out a school yet? I know you've just moved here."

Amelia smiled and nodded her head, hair bobbing behind her, "I'm going to be doing it online so I don't need to start at a new place this late in the year."

Tom accepted that answer and continued, "...while we give allowances for school, we still expect interns to work at least sixteen hours every week in order to keep on top of projects...now, that seems like the most important things - have you got any questions?"

Amelia thought for a moment before shaking her head, "no, I think you answered any I had."

"Great! This here is the lab you'll be working in - you will need to scan your badge to enter the first time, but after that you'll be able to use your fingerprint to get in. As you can see, there's six lab tables in here - one per person - and there's another, larger, Lab just downstairs that holds the other Lower Interns - it was decided that since you're still a minor, you'll need to have a qualified adult on standby for now. There's a cabinet there with materials that you might need. If there's something that you require, but it isn't there, you would need to request it through your Lab Director. You'll be told more when Jared gets in in an hour or so, but for now feel free to set your area up and settle in. The food court is down that corridor and through the door on the left - the food's pretty good, I'd recommend the tomato pasta - and if you need a coffee or soda, the machines are just outside the food court."

Amelia thanked him as he left, a wide smile on her lips as she scanned her badge and entered. She walked slowly around the room, taking note of the only empty table and placing her bag on the floor next to it. Allowing a moment to look around, she freely admired the silver walls and matching tables. The wall that closed them off from the corridor was made completely of glass that stretched straight from ceiling to floor. A switch on the side allowed the option to make the glass opaque.

She pulled her ratty notebook from within and opened to the last page she had been writing on, beginning to read back through it carefully to try and ensure that there weren't any obvious mistakes.

When the door opened forty minutes later, the girl was shocked out of her furious writing and looked up to see a small group of young adults entering the room together.

"You're the new intern."

Amelia nodded her head, smiling shyly and giving a tiny wave to the man who had spoken.

His hair was dark and curly, his eyes a warm chocolate shade, and he had a kind smile on his lips as he approached, "I'm Jared, the Head Intern. You must be Amelia?"

"Yeah."

"Perfect, we're just about to start our new projects this week, so you started at just the right time. Deadlines were on Saturday morning, so a lot of the Interns won't be in 'til a little later. So, we usually spend the mornings brainstorming on plans for the next project, and then in the afternoon or when we're finished, we'll start on theory. We have Deadlines every three months to ensure that funds are being well spent on teaching. For this quarter, I'm gonna partner you with Maya - we usually do this with interns so that the work isn't too overwhelming. It'll help us to figure your skills and work out what needs to be developed on."

Amelia grinned widely, excited, "that sounds great, thank you."

"Good, let's get you introduced."


	2. 2

Within six months, Amelia had proven her place within the industry, and within a year she had begun to rise through the ranks, achieving a promotion to a Higher Internship by the time she had turned seventeen.

Unfortunately, just because her work life was close to perfect, that didn't mean her home life was the same. Her mother worked evenings in a Hospital, while her stepfather worked short hours from home during the day - this meant that once her mother left at five-thirty sharp, Amelia's life turned into a living hell as her worst nightmares came to life.

She let out a pained gasp as she reached under her table for a pen she had dropped, tears springing to her eyes as her bruised ribs protested painfully. It was fortunate that the other Lab occupants had yet to arrive at such an early hour, as that was when she finally broke down after working through half the night with only an hour of sleep. With a choked sob, the girl allowed herself to slide down to the ground, mostly hiding herself from view through the glass windows, as she let the tears escape.

She couldn't seem to find a single part of her body that didn't ache or burn. Her ribs and jaw were bruised to the point where the dark marks were noticeable despite the copious layers of concealer she was wearing. Her lip was busted and kept splitting back open every time she moved her mouth (something she had had to do repeatedly to get to Stark Industries). Her right eye was swollen, and a dark shade of purple that still showed through the makeup she was wearing.

Her stepfather had been mad last night - he had just lost his job, and had decided that it was due to Amelia. He had never usually touched her face, not wanting her mother to be suspicious, but last night he had lost any will to keep everything hidden.

The second he had finished with her - over an hour after beginning - he had stumbled away, his belt still laying innocently beside her, Amelia had forced herself up onto her feet and left, nothing but her notebook, a jacket and her purse in her hands.

She had stumbled into the building at three in the morning, given a dazed wave to Harry, the security guard who had seen her enter like this way too many times for him not to be unnerved, and had made her way up to the Lab where she had begun working and not stopped since. Well, until she had dropped her pen and had a breakdown.

The sound of the door whirring as it opened didn't distract the girl from her panic.

"'Melia?" Jared kneeled down beside her, having noticed her curled beside her desk the moment he had entered.

When she didn't look up, he knew there was something seriously wrong - never before had he seen this girl so inconsolable. He sat down beside her and slowly wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders, noting how he could easily feel the bones jutting out of her skin through the thin sweater she was wearing.

With a little more coaxing, Amelia calmed down enough to look up and instantly regretted it.

"Who did this to you?"

Jared's face was devoid of colour and his eyes were wide as he took in the dark colours that stretched across her face.

He could guess the answer.

Though he had never before walked in on the girl sobbing with such ferocity, he had seen the faint bruises around her wrists when her sleeves rode up, had seen the way she flinched when someone raised their hands, had seen the way she came in later than usual some mornings with a slight limp as if the very act of walking caused her immeasurable agony.

Her silence gave him an answer, and he pulled her back into his arms, slowly enough to show her what he was doing, gently enough not to hurt any hidden injuries, tight enough to show that he was there.

"It was your stepdad, wasn't it, Kid?"

A moment of silence passed before another cry escaped the girl's trembling lips and she nodded her head.

The man had to fight not to let the anger show in his expression as he sighed and pulled away from her, still keeping his hand on her arm, "alright, 'Melia, here's what we're gonna do. You're gonna go change your shirt - there's blood on the side, then you're gonna come somewhere with me. I'm going to get this sorted."

He tried not to think of what had happened to cause that injury, "I've got a sweater in my bag, you can have that."

When the girl left, a grateful expression on her face and tears in her eyes.


	3. 3

Entering the Lab just over half an hour later, Amelia looked down to avoid the curious eyes of her fellow Interns. She didn't blame them - they were worried, only looking up out of care for her - but it still made her nervous as she approached Jared, fingers twisting the hem of his sweater in a fruitless attempt to keep her nerves at bay.

The sweater dwarfed her; ending below her knees; the sleeves hanging below her hands; neck hole slipping off her left shoulder, revealing her worryingly protruding collarbones and an even more worrying bruise that covered her neck, but it was clean and warm and that was a lot more than her previous shirt had done.

Nobody said anything as she crossed the room, a slight limp in her gait, going back to their work (if a bit slower than previously) - Amelia guessed that Jared had said something to them, and idly wondered what he might have said.

"You feeling a little better, Kid?" Jared asked in an undertone as he set down the screwdriver he had been fidgeting absentmindedly with as he read over his calculations quickly, circling one number in red, and scribbling down a note in the top right corner.

He passed her a cup of coffee - brought up by Maya only a few minutes previously.

With a slight nod and shrug, the girl sent him a tiny smile that was more of a twitch of her lips, watching when he rose to his feet and gestured for her to follow him.

She had been in the Heads' Office a couple of times in the past year, both times to ask for advice on how to deal with stress about Deadlines, but she had never had a chance to look around. This time, she used her surroundings as an opportunity to calm herself down. The walls, unlike most of the building, were a pale shade of yellow; a large window that stretched all the way across the back wall allowed daylight in, bringing a warm glow to the room; the desks were a dark brown wood, piled high with notebooks and various textbooks - a coffee mug used as a pen pot had tipped over, pens lay discarded on desks and the carpeted floor. It was messy, but it was how they liked it.

"Sit down, 'Melia." Jared pulled a chair out for her and dragged one over so there wasn't a desk between them. He watched as she fidgeted, skinny fingers twisting at the hem of his sweater. He gave her a minute to relax before beginning to speak.

"So, I wanted to ask if you had any idea what would be the best thing to do, because we can't allow this to go on, Honey."

Amelia let out a breath - of frustration, fear or relief she did not know. "I want to tell Mum. I want to ask her to leave him. If she doesn't, I'm going to leave. I _can't stay there. I can't do this anymore."_

"And what about pressing charges?" Jared's heart stuttered at the idea that she wouldn't want to say anything against him. He didn't think he'd be able to let this go; he was most definitely considering running into this man in a dark alleyway.

The girl looked down at the cup in her hand, shaking her head in the process, "I-I don't know, Jar', I just do-don't want to be there anymore. I don't want to go on not feeling safe. I can't go on. I hate it, Jared - I hate it, and I can't do it anymore. I'll do anything to keep him away from me. He'll _kill me if he finds out I told someone."_

"It's okay, Kid, it's gonna be okay. I'm gonna get you out of there. I promise."

"I don't think you should make any promises you can't keep, Jar'."

The older man smiled warmly, a kind spark in his eyes, "I'm not, Amelia...now, what I think we should do...tell your Mum what's been going on, ask her to leave Carl. Before that, though, I'm going to take you up to Legal and have the paperwork set up for a restraining order against him. They're gonna need to take a statement, though, Kid...and I think it's be best for you to do that before you have a chance to be discouraged."

Amelia took a minute to register the words her close friend had just spoken, and then a couple more to process them, twisting and rearranging the sentences until she understood completely. It was then that she looked up and nodded at the man, an unusually open expression on her fragile face as she murmured her acceptance.

Her eyes were wide and innocent behind those round glasses, her bruised face pale and yet colourful, and in that moment he couldn't think of a single person in the world who was braver than the girl sitting in front of him.

"He lost his job." Amelia broke the silence after a few minutes of sitting, sipping at the cooling drink.

When Jared looked at her, dawning comprehension on his face, she continued, cupping her hands around the cup for any semblance of warmth. "He lost his job yesterday. Don't know why. He was completely pissed when I got home. Mum had already left. He didn't hold back this time."

"You're not going back there, Amelia. I won't let _anyone send you back there. I promise."_

The girl laughed humorlessly, a fragile expression showing her complete seriousness and worry. "What if she doesn't believe me? He's so nice around her. She won't believe me. She loves him."

"Then fuck her, too." She seemed surprised at his language. "I have a spare room if you need it. But don't worry before you talk to her, Kid. She might surprise you."

"Thanks, Jared. For everything." She leaned forward, setting the drink on the ground beneath her chair, and wrapped her arms around the man, wincing slightly as her ribs twinged.

"Not a problem, 'Melia. Not a problem."


	4. 4

"I can't do this, Jar'...I'm not ready." Amelia tried to turn around and leave the room. The sight of the two women sitting at one side of a conference table in formal suits made her stomach flip.

The gentle but firm grip her friend had on her shoulder kept her in place. "You can do this, Honey. I'll be right here next to you."

Her head moved in an almost imperceptible nod, her breath coming out shaky as she took a step forward and sat in the dark leather chair. The blood drained from her face as one of the women began to speak.

"Miss. Smith, please describe to us the reasons for which you would like to impose a restraining order on your stepfather."

Amelia focused on the woman, her eyes staring at the greying hair ending just above her shoulders. "My mum is a nurse. She works the night shifts...Craig...he gets angry. A lot. He-he takes it out on me when something goes wrong. But he ac-acts nice and kind in front of Mum. I don't...I _can't keep going back there - he's going to kill me someday."_

The other woman coughed gently. She was a little younger, her auburn hair curled to perfection. "Could you elaborate on what you mean by 'he takes it out on me' please, Miss. Smith?"

The girl turned to the man next to her, seeking comfort. He took her hand and gave her a silent smile. "Uh...yeah...he drinks a-a lot...struggles to keep a job. It makes him angry...when Mum leaves for work, he'll hit me. With his hands or whatever is near." She took a deep breath and continued. "He-he tries to keep it away from my face...so nobody notices. He was just so so angry."

"Is the abuse only physical? You have already spoken of this while evidence was spoken, but we need this for the record."

Amelia's breath hitched and she closed her eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. "He only...he only made me once...it was just once. I didn't want to...he was just too strong. I-I said I'd tell. Mum isn't home when he is...I-I tried to stay late at work, only come home when he was asleep...but he-he always seemed to catch me."

When Jared moved in his own seat, she flinched and looked down, away from the disgust she was going to see in his once warm eyes. She was surprised when he leaned forward slowly, deliberately and enveloped her in his arms, tight but not tight enough to hurt her delicate ribs, and kissed the top of her head. "It's gonna be okay, 'Melia. It's gonna be okay."

That was when the tears began, running down her face and onto the shoulder of his sweater. She wiped under her glasses, leaving a slight smudge on the left lens.

The two women rose as one, giving her faint smiles as she signed at the bottom of the page, declaring the words to be the truth. "Thank you for your time, Miss. Smith. Your statement and photographs will be entered into evidence. We will be in touch."

When they left, Jared spoke, "come on, Kid, let's go home. You can stay at mine tonight."

"Thank you. For everything," she mumbled, keeping her arms wrapped around him, hands bunching in his t-shirt. "I just...I can't tell her yet...I-I'll meet her tomorrow."

The man pulled back, a comforting smile on his face but tear tracks on his cheeks. He wiped under his eyes. "Okay, 'Melia. I'll text Donna - tell her that we're leaving early."

He held her hand tightly as he typed into the phone, smiling when he received a response within a few seconds. "She says that they both hope you're okay. I haven't told them anything - just that it's your business."

"Thanks."

"Anyway," The man continued, "I have your notebook in my bag - we can work from in front of the TV if you want."

"I think I'd like that." Amelia rose to her feet, knees shaking slightly, and waited as he pulled the cars keys from his coat pocket.

They exited the building together, Jared's arm wrapped protectively over her shoulders, and him glaring at anyone who appeared to look at them twice.

The house was unexpected. While she knew from designer clothes and the expensive car that Jared was very wealthy, his house did not show that; a modest detached house in a middle-class neighbourhood. She had expected a large modern building, but this was almost the opposite. It was a small brick house almost identical to all the others on the street.

The lights were turned on inside, casting a warm golden glow on the grass.

"Kyle's here for the night," Jared explained, noticing the questioning glance she sent him.

"Hey, Babe," Kyle greeted as they entered, wiping his hands on a cloth as he gave them a wave from the kitchen. "You must be Amelia. Jared's told me a lot about you."

Amelia smiled at the man, giving him a slight wave. "And you, too. We've all heard a lot about you."

Jared elbowed her gently, forcing a laugh from her lips. "Quiet, Little Miss. D'you wanna go choose a room? There's two upstairs - first door on the left and the one next to it. Ours is the one right at the end beside the bathroom."

"Thank you," the girl murmured, giving him a smile and a nod as she left. She could hear them talking in the kitchen but couldn't make out the words - she trusted Jared not to tell everything, though.

Glancing into the two rooms, she quickly chose the first one, seeing the large window seat and falling in love. A set of thin white curtains hung around the window, offering her privacy if she were to close them. A thin grey cushion had been placed by the window, giving her somewhere to sit when she wouldn't be able to sleep later - this was going to happen, she knew.

A double bed with a beautiful dark wooden frame was pushed against the wall. She sunk into the mattress as she sat on the edge and looked around at the drawers pushed against the opposite wall beside a wardrobe. She could see herself in the mirror, taking in the cashmere blanket folded neatly on top of the quilt. Her fingers stroked the soft material.

She could hear laughter from downstairs, followed by footsteps announcing someone's presence as they approached.

"Chosen a room, Kid?" Jared leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest. "Kyle's made pizza. Homemade."

Amelia grinned back at him, the light which had vanished returning quickly as they descended the stairs together.


	5. 5

She didn't think her hands had ever shook so much as they were in that moment.

She was cold despite the warm clothes, wearing yesterday's jeans with one of Kyle's long sleeved t-shirts - he was closer to her size than Jared.

She sat waiting at the park - not the ideal place, but Craig was at the house, so she couldn't afford to go there. She had been waiting for the past ten minutes, had been given an extended lunch by Jared - who was waiting on a bench just a bit away where he could see her but not hear, so that she at least had privacy, but so that there was someone there for her in case things didn't go well.

She tapped her fingers against the bench, counting under her breath as she glanced around, looking for the woman. When she saw her approaching, she went to stand up but found that all of her strength had disappeared and it took everything in her to just raise her hand slightly as Mary approached.

"Amelia, darling, what did you want to meet me here for?" The woman asked, her familiar green eyes filled with confusion as she took in the damage to her daughter's body. "What happened? Who hurt you?"

"Th-that's what I wanted to talk to you about, Mum...it's been going on a while..."

"What has, Amelia?"

The girl tried to speak quickly, stumbling and stuttering over words as she forced herself to speak to the woman. Why was it so difficult? She had given a statement detailing everything, had allowed pictures to be taken for evidence, had done everything but just facing her mother was making her lungs seize and voice disappear."It-it was Craig, Mum. He's been hu-hurting me when...when you've been at work. It's been going on for a long time. I-I never wanted to tell you - I didn't want to hurt you, but I can't keep it to myself any-anymore. It's too much."

There had been a lot she had been expecting to see on her mother's face; concern, worry, guilt...but anger was not one of them. She watched as the woman's usually kind and gentle eyes narrowed and her soft cheeks reddened as she rose to her feet. "You dare say such things about such a kind man. You have no idea what Craig has done for you, Amelia! I will not have you making up such lies about that man! After all the love he has given you!"

"Love!" Amelia scoffed before she could help herself. "Your _husband has been beating me senseless on a weekly basis for as long as I can remember! I am not lying! I swear, Mum...I wouldn't lie about such a thing...I'm telling you the truth...please believe me."_

She watched as the woman glowered at her, looking down her nose. "You will not be living under my roof if you continue with this. I understand that you have not been getting as much attention as you would like, but such allegations are..."

Before she could second guess herself, Amelia crossed her arms protectively over her ribs. "I would rather live on the streets. How could you believe _him over your own daughter?"_

Mary didn't respond, instead turning and leaving the way she had approached.

Amelia waited until she was out of sight before collapsing back onto the bench and allowing the cries to escape. She felt warm arms over her shoulders and curled into them as she sobbed.

"She didn't believe me," she mumbled against the damp shoulder of Jared's sweater. "She didn't believe me, sh-she kicked me out."

Jared held her tighter, avoiding any bruises he could see. "You don't have anything important at the house, do you?"

Shaking her head, the girl mumbled, "no. There's clothes back there, but anything important I keep at SI."

"Perfect. You can stay with me, Kiddo, you can keep the room from last night. It's gonna work out...d'you wanna get back? Distract yourself?" He knew her, knew that whenever anything was even remotely wrong the girl would hide out at her workstation with a pair of headphones turned up to full volume, and work until her mind cleared and her thoughts disappeared. He was the same - they had bonded over late nights and cold takeaways in the early hours of the morning.

"Please...I'll be fine when we get there, it's just...everything's happening so fast."

They drove back in silence, the only noises being the singer on the radio and the irritated noise of road rage, both thinking.

Pulling into the car park but not unfastening his seat belt, Jared turned to the teenager, a serious expression on his face - a rare one, but one which had been on his face all day. "You going to be okay in there, Kid?"

She smiled slightly, giving a slight nod. "I will be. I think I just want to get to work and forget about what's going on."

"Alright." Jared gave her a teasing grin, "we're leaving at 5:00 tonight - no later this time. You need some new clothes and my fridge is empty."

"Aye aye Captain." Amelia gave a crooked salute, as she climbed out.

Entering the lab, she was surprised when Donna and Kay quietly approached her with warm smiled on their faces and wrapped her in a tight hug that seemed to pull all of her fractured pieces back together.

"Come on, ladies," Jared joked with a light chuckle. "Give her some space."

They did as they had been told, retreating to their own workstations and continuing with their projects. Amelia smiled in amusement as Kay made herself comfortable on the ground beside her desk, legs crossed with her notes on her left and a temporarily unidentifiable piece of plastic in her hand; she was working to create a camera powered by Artificial Intelligence.

"Hey, Jar'," Amelia began, "do you mind coming to test this out? I'm pretty sure that it should be working right this time."

The two grimaced at the thought of what had happened last time they had been testing this particular invention. There _was a reason neither of them were allowed in the test lab alone - though Donna was sceptical that the two of them being together was much better._

Jared shrugged on his lab coat in an effort to protect his clothes, while Amelia tied her hair back. "Any chance we can test this on something _other than me?"_

The girl laughed. "Sorry, Boss. That wouldn't be putting it into action."

The man sighed, waiting until she slipped the slim ring onto her finger, the metallic silver plate facing him as she made a fist and pointed to him. He groaned quietly before taking a few steps forward and touching the stone.

Amelia grabbed the man as his eyes rolled back and his legs buckled, grabbing a bottle of water from the workstation for when he woke.

"Least we know it w'rks," Jared grumbled a few minutes later, propping himself up on his elbows and taking a sip of water. "That...that isn't good."


End file.
